Angel 1/2
by The Turner Of The Wheel
Summary: A Ranma altaverse with crossover elements. If you can't guess by the title then... just read it.
1. A Gift From the Gods

The Turner Of The Wheel TurnerOfTheWheel@hotmail.com  
  
Disclaimer: Most characters, introduced thus far, are property of Rumiko Takahashi and a bunch of business people, and are used here without permission. Original concept and Asuralle are property of Gregg Sharp ("Gregg Sharp" metroanime@mindspring.com), and is used here with permission. Part of this fanfiction, the first part, is written by Gregg Sharp. Any writing or ideas, except where otherwise noted, beyond this point, are property of me. Thanks.  
  
WARNING:  
First fic. Please please, please tell me why, where and how it sucks. I really want to write better for you guys, and I have a long way to go. So flame me, insult my style, grammar, originality and humor. An occasional compliment would be nice too d8^)   
This will be a crossover, including Ah! Mega-sami, and probably Tenchi and Sailor Moon. However, the other series may not be introduced for a chapter or two (with the exception of Asuralle)  
  
(Completed 11/11/00) Angel 1/2, Chapter 1: A Gift From The Gods  
(Slight Alterations 3/16/01)   
______  
  
Hel was unhappy. Hel had a tendency to take this out on anyone in the vicinity. Unlike Toltiir, Hel was neither particularly inventive or possessed of a sense of humor.  
  
A Demon First Class, seeing an ancient enemy, decided to get away from his mistress and go off into battle. He wasn't aware that the whole thing was a setup, or that Hel was manipulating events.  
  
Not in imitation of the Bet, but to see what could be done to hurry off some of those alternate timelines into darkness, destruction, and death.  
  
Hel _really_ hated happy endings.  
  
She watched the battle taking place over the area she had chosen and waited. Sure enough, a divergence occurred. In each of the lines, the equally matched forces of Darkness and Light saw a victory.  
  
In one timeline, it was the Darkness that rose triumphant over a certain small body of water. In the other, the Light was the victor.  
  
In either case, the victory turned pyrrhic when the Doublet System activated with the loser drowning in the cursed spring and the victor suddenly died in midair. (Midgloat in the case of the demon, midsong in the case of the angel.)  
  
To Hel it didn't really matter. Either supplied pain and suffering, which was her meat and drink. It WOULD matter to someone else, however.  
______  
  
"That must be Ranma," Nabiki ran for the door, her father a moment behind.  
  
"Saotome, my old friend!"  
  
Nabiki opened the door and came to a complete and abrupt stop, not even noticing that she was blocking the door. Higher functions had gone offline and she was quite conscious of her own heartbeat suddenly racing.  
  
"Are...are...you...Ranma?" Nabiki looked up the tall figure in front of her, noting the lean muscles, the bronzed skin, the perfect proportions, the dazzling smile, the way those eyes looked into her...  
  
Wondering why he had steam rising from his hair and was screwing the lid back onto a thermos. Well, Nabiki decided she was a little steamy herself.  
  
There was no doubt in her mind now who would marry Ranma. It was her Destiny. Everything that had come so far, every sacrifice, every deal, had been so that she could attain THIS.  
  
"Hi," Nabiki unconsciously straightened up as best she could under the circumstances. The Ice Queen had just moved to equatorial climes. Hot and steamy was the forecast.  
  
Ranma moved slightly and Nabiki's next words died unspoken on her lips. She didn't notice the panda, her attention was fully focused on those eyes, those broad shoulders, the lithe but firm musculature, the strong defined pectorals, the sensuous mouth opening.  
  
The mood was shattered by Nabiki fainting. She was entirely unused to having such a romantic moment or the tide of emotion that had erupted upon looking into those eyes.  
  
"Oh....my! My, my. Dear me."  
  
Kasumi filled the doorway, accidentally slamming her father into the doorframe. "Hello there. Are you...Ranma?"  
  
"Kasumi, I can't see. I don't see what all the fuss is about anyway, it's just a boy." The last word was spat out as if it were a curse.  
  
"That's okay, Akane." Kasumi licked suddenly dry lips. An angel. Just glancing into those eyes so full of compassion and strength was enough to convince her. All the sacrifices she'd made for her family, all the duties and responsibilities she'd had to shoulder. Now she knew, without the slightest doubt in her mind. THIS was why she had endured it all.  
  
Kasumi looked at the man as he moved with such grace, and knew that the Heavens themselves had seen fit to reward her directly. She hoped that she could be worthy of this great honor. "I'll take him. He might seem to be a bit young, but I really doubt he's boring."  
  
Soun stopped struggling. One of his daughters had already made the choice? And it was Kasumi?  
  
Akane frowned as she stared at her sister's back and the sideways view of her father. Kasumi was interested in a boy? "Well, better you than me. I..."  
  
Kasumi moved aside to let Ranma pass. Akane stared. It was a long moment before Akane remembered to breathe. "Ah? So!"  
  
"Pardon me," Ranma carried the unconscious Nabiki into the house, stepping past a flustered Akane who was still trying to get her mouth to work.  
  
Laying Nabiki down on the floor, Ranma turned to find the other two daughters had followed him and were giving him a close and thorough inspection.  
  
"Pardon me," Kasumi straightened. "Tea. That's a good idea. I think I need to make some tea." She needed to get the formal set out.  
  
"Uhm, so...you study kempo?" Akane said, blushing and examining the floor. She hated boys, but there was no WAY this could be considered a mere boy. She knew there had been some great destiny calling her, it had been a feeling she had all her life. Now she knew what it was. When Kasumi understood this, Akane was sure her elder sister would step out of the way.  
  
"A little," Ranma confessed.  
  
"Well, we have a dojo. Maybe we could be a little match...I mean _have_ a little match."  
  
Unnoticed by anyone, a panda started looking for the bathroom.  
______  
  
Kasumi hurried to the dojo to find Nabiki was already there in the doorway. The two settled down to watch, unable to tear their eyes away from the person sparring with their sister.  
  
She kicked. He moved like smoke around her. She punched; he leaned out of the way. She began a wind milling series of blows that he evaded with consummate grace.  
  
Akane started to get angry then looked at the gentle smile, the caring in those eyes, and realized that here was a guy who would hesitate to do anything to hurt her. Completely unlike the usual crowd at school.  
  
"Sugoi!" Nabiki watched the tight musculature, how the boy turned the simple act of dodging into almost a dance he was leading Akane into.  
  
"Oh!" Kasumi blushed prettily, as Ranma flipped back over Akane with such a lazy grace that Kasumi could not help but wonder what else he could do in such a manner.  
  
"Wow! You're pretty good." Akane managed as she felt the lightest of touches on the back of her head. At last, she had a worthy opponent. Someone she could spar with who would be enough of a challenge she could hone her skills against. He was nearly perfect.  
______  
  
"So, you fell in a Jusenkyo pool, as well?" Kasumi blinked. "What do you turn into?"  
  
"Well, I..." Ranma looked quite unhappy. "That is, I..."  
  
Genma, without a word, grabbed his son and flipped him out into the fishpond.  
  
"Oh, the shame," Genma stood up and raised tear-filled eyes to the heavens. "My own son, how humiliating..."  
  
The water erupted. Broad feathered wings that shimmered an iridescent blue-green snapped out, sending a spray of water across the yard.  
  
The three Tendo girls gasped. The same aura of compassion and strength flowed from the girl who had stepped out of the pond and now looked with disdain upon her father. The very qualities that had made his male form so appealing brought an otherworldly sense of beauty to the female half.  
  
"Father, that was uncalled for," Ranma said, glaring at the one responsible for the transformation.  
  
"Were you not prepared to risk your life for..." Genma found himself interrupted. The interruption proved to be the table being slammed into the top of his head by Akane. She lifted it and brought it back down on him again. How DARE he do something like that to HER Ranma...  
  
"You've gone too far, Mister Saotome!" Kasumi actually showed some anger towards the older man, guest or not.  
  
"Would you like some hot water, Ranma?" Nabiki smiled. She wouldn't even charge him for it, he'd see that she was useful and intelligent, then he'd be sure to choose HER.  
  
Akane glared at Genma some more. "How could you do that to poor Ranma? What kind of father are you?"  
  
"Ah, the life of a martial artist is fraught with peril," Soun Tendo folded his arms and looked stoic. He glanced over at Ranma-chan and his jaw dropped. Such inhuman beauty and grace hit him like a meteor from an American disaster movie. His stoic dignity seemed to deflate and vanish. "Gah?"  
  
"Oh, that I have such a worthless son..." came a mumbling voice from underneath the table. "Such a disappointment you are to your father... OUCH!"  
  
Akane dusted her hands off from where she'd picked the table back up and slammed it back down again. "You did this to him, you...you..." Akane paused, at a loss for an applicable insult.  
  
"Worthless excuse for a father," supplied Kasumi helpfully.  
  
"Scumbag? Slimeball? Dirty rotten old @#*%#? Fiend? Pile of malodorous monkey muck? Soon to be living punching bag?" Nabiki scowled at the arms and legs sticking out from beneath the table.  
  
"Thanks." Akane nodded. "What they said!"  
  
Ranma suppressed a guilty smile at seeing her father on the receiving end of some bad luck for a change. But then, she'd never suffered from any delusions of being perfect...  
______  
  
Shampoo stopped on the street. She was sure her airen was around here someplace. Her thoughts swept back to when HE had walked into the village.  
  
It would have been a perfect moment, their eyes meeting across the field. Destiny. That was what it was. All the training she'd underwent, never having any friends, no one for HER to lean on in her hour of need, but then HE came into her life.  
  
But NOOOOO. Sugar and Spice. Honey and Brandy. Choco, Rink and Pink. THEY had to spoil the moment, the moment her entire life had been leading up to!  
  
Shampoo grinned, but her eyes were sad. Who could blame her airen? I mean, he couldn't even get into the Challenge area before he had half a dozen amazons challenging him to a fight right there and then!  
  
She'd insisted, though. As she was the Champion. She had the right of First Challenge. Ranma had proven just as good at fighting as he was at being cute. She moved past some odd residence called the Tendo Dojo, still looking for a sign of her airen.  
  
He'd beaten her, she'd leapt up to give him the Kiss Of Marriage...and he was already getting challenged by some of the others! The nerve of them, couldn't they get in line?!  
  
Okay, maybe the number of guys in the village had been steadily decreasing over the past few years. Okay, working in the Chinese Army was usually considered less strenuous than being a male among the amazons. Certainly there was less humiliation.  
  
It wasn't HER fault!  
  
Airen had left the village. Airen had beaten a half dozen other amazons getting out of the village.  
  
That was why Shampoo felt she had to find her airen, FAST.  
  
Otherwise, someone else might catch him first.  
______  
  
NOTICE: All writing up to this point has been that of Gregg Sharp. I respect his writing greatly, and I thank him for allowing me to continue this story. From here on in, all writing is mine. Any problems in transition between the writings are my fault.  
______  
  
The Tendo Dojo, late at night. A peaceful scene, as Ranma and the Tendo Sisters have retired. Soun and Genma (panda-form at the moment) sit at their favorite pastime. Genma sighs and glances at the night sky through the doorway. Soun, of course, takes this opportunity to replace one of Genma's pieces with his own.  
  
# Tendo, old friend, what am I to do with my son? #  
  
"hmm" mumbled the Tendo patriarch, glancing up from the board.  
  
# My son, he is a disgrace # (flip) # The curse has corrupted him, taken him from the path of a true martial artist # (flip, the sign apparently has more than two sides) # he refused to even train in the art because he says I, his father, am immoral! The ways of my art are immoral! #  
  
"A problem, a problem indeed my old friend." Soun sagely nodded, "I am sure you gave Ranma a good beating for his insubordination?"  
  
# Ah, well, I would have you see, but his curse seems to have given him a streak of infernal good luck, which he has fiendishly used to overpower my *obviously* superior skill #  
  
"Well, that is most unfortunate. Did you manage to get the boy training again?"  
  
# Yes, my old friend, but not without difficulties and sacrifices. The boy said to me . . . #  
______  
  
"Father, if you wish me to continue in the training of the 'art', I demand that you restore it to its original purpose. It is to defend the weak, not to steal and lie" an angry Ranma-onna shouts at her father from aloft, her bluish-green wings flapping slowly behind her. She is obviously not staying aloft courtesy of the laws of aerodynamics.  
  
A dripping Genma-panda holds up a sign # You understand nothing boy. How can a martial artist defend the weak if he cannot even feed himself? #  
  
"Asuralle has told me the true meaning of the art. She has taught me more about purpose and honor in a few weeks then you have in ten years, you old fool!" she snorts. "Oh, sorry, right. You're right As, I shouldn't have yelled at him." Ranma says shamefully.  
  
# Ranma, stop talking to that . . thing inside your head, and listen to your father #  
  
"Pop, I'm not gonna fight with ya," she pauses, and peers inward for a moment. "Sorry, I'm not going to fight with you anymore Father. Unless you stop stealing, lying and making false promises, I'm not training in your 'art' anymore." she says with finality.  
  
# But son . . . # his signs have now switched to a pleading tone # how will we eat? You wouldn't let your poor father starve would you? #  
  
"Pop, all we have to do is work a little. It's good for you, we can do some physical labor, help with our training at the same time. What do you say?"  
  
# sigh #, he appears to think it over (flip) # the things I give up for the art. Very well, my boy, if it keeps you training, I will make the sacrifice #, with fingers crossed behind his back.  
  
"Great! Oh, and pop, Asuralle and I are gonna, ... going to keep an eye on you, we'll know if you keep your promise," she added suspiciously. A moment later, "Well As, you wouldn't trust him either if you had know him for as long as I have." she added outloud.  
______  
  
# But the worst part Tendo! The worst part, my friend, is he seems to truly be able to sense what I was doing. No sooner had I stolen a meal fair and square than the boy made me return it, and then made me work to pay for it. I can no longer steal, lie or even cheat without him knowing! #  
  
At this the Tendo patriarch looked at the board and noticed that he was winning by a good margin. 'With Saotome unable to play the game properly, victory shall be mine!' He smiled inwardly.  
  
Outwardly, "truly a terrible thing Saotome, let us have a drink, and think on the problem." he stood to get the sake, no longer fearful of protecting his pieces.  
  
# Yes, Tendo, but just one, I'm not allowed to have any more. Something Ranma says about moderation . . . # (flip) # Sigh, the sacrifices I make for the art. #  
  
-------  
  
The guest room of the Tendo house, late at night.  
  
'As, we gotta do something about this!'  
  
'Something about what Ranma?'  
  
'These girls, they're acting all funny around me. Kasumi kept on spilling things, Akane wouldn't stop staring at me, and Nabiki was talking about giving me stuff for free . . . Mr. Tendo was acting really weird too, after I got dunked in the pond. I think its gonna be a problem.'  
  
'Oh, that. Yes, they did seem to be acting strangely. I confess to having little experience with mortals, and I know not of what they might suffer. Perhaps a side effect of the springs of Jusenkyo?'  
  
'Maybe . . .' he thought doubtfully, (yawn) 'but is there anything we can do about it?'  
  
'It is also possible that they were just happy at seeing guests. In any case, we will have to see if their behavior continues. If it does, we will have to see what they are suffering from. Mortals are very odd.'  
  
"HEY!" . . . 'I'm a mortal too ya know,' Ranma continues mentally, a bit belatedly.   
  
(WHAP!)  
  
A panda puts down his sign, rolls over, and joins his son in slumber.  
  
-------  
  
*blink*  
  
6:25  
  
*blink*  
  
6:26  
  
Kasumi opened her eyes and smiled. Actually, she had been smiling in her sleep. It was better to say that she continued to smile. She then yawned, and her smile was back again. Stretching, she flowed out of bed, turning the alarm off in the process. It wouldn't go off for another four minutes. She rarely needed it anymore.  
  
She quickly changed into her day attire. Neatly placing her nightgown in the clothes hamper, she stepped out of her room.  
  
Into the hall. The clean hall. Now, an average person would not have noticed the difference, but Kasumi, as everyone else in the household, was no average person. The first thing she noticed was the duck. Akane's duck, on her door, just yesterday had been worn and barely readable. Now it gleamed with a fresh-coat of paint. The first character in her name had been crooked and worn away. Strangely enough, it remained crooked now, looking exactly as it had the first day it had been painted.  
  
'Perhaps father painted it, but it is so unlike him to _do_ anything. . . I'll have to make sure poor father is feeling alright,' she frowned in confusion.  
  
The second thing was the dust, or lack thereof. Kasumi is the only person in the known multi-verse that can notice the missing twelve-hour buildup of dust (she dusted twice a day), from three feet away. Frowning again, she heading downstairs.  
  
As she stepped off the stairs, she heard a humming from the kitchen, and her curiosity grew as she entered the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning Kasumi." Ranma smiled. Kasumi blinked.  
  
"Ranma . . . good morning" she managed, nearly overcome by his smile  
  
He glided about the kitchen with a fluid grace that mesmerized her. Here, turning on the gas with such a precise touch. There, putting the water on to boil. Bending over to get the pots form the lower cabinets and . . .  
  
"Oh my."  
  
Ranma turned around, concerned. "Are you alright Kasumi?" As he noticed the blush growing on her face a look of confusion grew on his. "You look kinda . . flustered. Why don't you sit down a bit?" he said with a look that let her know how concerned he was for her, how much he wanted to make sure she was okay. Kasumi quickly entered a state of blissful happiness.   
  
Wanting to please him, Kasumi quickly sat down, "yes, . . .yes Ranma, thank you."  
  
"Okay, just sit down for a while, I'll start breakfast." And he did. To be more accurate, Ranma _performed_ breakfast. Fish was flying and eggs were frying. And so sat Kasumi, blissful in the knowledge that he was putting on a show, just for her . . .  
______  
  
*Beep* *Beep* *Be...SMASH*  
  
Groggily, Akane stretched, smiled and welcomed the morning. Then she hesitated. 'That's strange. Usually I frown, mentally curse the morning for being so bright, and then grumpily roll out of bed. . . something's different about today.' She sat for a moment, wondering what event had graced her with this glorious feeling. 'Ah! He's here!'  
  
Quickly, Akane dressed herself for her morning workout. 'Ranma's here! Gotta look good!' She brushed her hair quickly but carefully, and did a quick spot check in the mirror. Satisfied everything was in place, she rushed out the door and down the hall to meet her one true love . . . and promptly fell down the stairs. "Ow."  
  
Trying her best to maintain her dignity, she pulled herself off the floor. Looking around, Akane let out a sigh of relief that Ranma had not seen her awkwardness. The object of her affection presently exited the kitchen, hanging up his apron.   
  
"You sure you want to take care of the rest Kasumi!," in a heavenly voice. Oh gods, what a voice, thought the youngest Tendo.   
  
"Yes Ranma, I've got it." came the quick reply.  
  
A gi-clad man came rumbling down the stairs, one step at a time, clutching the railing closely. Was that Ranma's father? Uncle? She couldn't remember. Yesterday was a bit of a blur.  
  
"Ranma! Time for practice, you've been slacking off boy!"  
  
"Hah! Slacking off, why you . . ." he paused and peered inward, obviously trying to keep his temper in check, then sighed. "Anyways pop, I'm not sparring with you today, 'cause of last night. You know what I'm talking about."  
  
"But Ranma! Your poor father only had three, maybe four drinks! It was a night of celebration, a night of reunion, a night of happiness. Surely you cannot begrudge your father that?"  
"Well if it was a night of celebration, I'm guessing it's a morning of hangovers, huh!" Ranma stated, drawing closer to his father, "Isn't that right POP?" the last work spoken directly in the man's ear, causing him to draw back in pain, clutching his head. "You're in no condition to spar," Ranma scolded.   
  
Ranma, her angel, looked around, suddenly focusing on her, 'He's looking at me!' she enthused, giving, what she though, was her cutest smile.  
  
"Hey Akane. Good morning," Ranma greeted.  
  
'Ranma, why don't you invite her to practice with you, it would be polite. She is a martial artist, I believe.'  
  
'Aaaas! Do I hafta? You know how I feel about fighting with girls...'  
  
'How could I forget? I'm stuck in your head most the time, remember? Even though I've been working on it, there is enough testosterone and chauvinism up here to last a lifetime. Now, you are going to invite Akane to practice, and you are going to do it now.'  
  
Ranma grimaced for a moment, and then, "Wanna practice with me?" he queried.  
  
'He . . . wants to practice . . . with me?' "YES! I mean, yes Ranma, I'd love you, I...I mean love to." She sighed and stared at his face, his beautiful, perfect face, caught up in the moment.  
  
"Um, ok. Why don't you go get your gi on, and meet me out there." he said, obviously confused at her inaction.  
  
Blushing, she turned away, and ran upstairs. "BeRightBack!" 'He wants to practice with me . . . oh beautiful day!'  
______  
  
Chapter 2: A Very Tragic Story.   
  
Ranma goes to school. How will he react to Kuno? And why are all those girls bumping into walls? Ryoga went to Jusenkyo, but he didn't fall into the spring of drowned pig . . .  



	2. A Very Tragic Story

Rudy Henkel  
The Turner Of The Wheel  
TurnerOfTheWheel@hotmail.com  
11/23/2000  
  
This is a Ranma 1/2 and Ah! My Goddess crossover, possibly including other series at a later date. If you are not familiar with Ranma 1/2, then don't read this, there is not point. If you are not familiar with Ah! My Goddess then you will only miss out on a inside joke or two. I will explain the ideas from Ah! My Goddess as I go along, so it is not strictly necessary to be familiar with it.  
Note that I use no Japanese language other than Kami-sama (roughly used to refer to an ultimate god or being) I only use that because there is no convenient and appropriate translation. This fic is written in english, I write in english. When Takahashi had Ranma 1/2 translated to english, she didn't leave in a bunch of chan's and kun's and sensei's and family prefixes etc. Neither will I. Thank You.  
  
Disclaimer  
Ranma belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and some companies, Ah! My Goddess belongs to some person and some companies. None of them belong to be, but everything else in here is mine. And if you want to give me money for a reason unrelated to this fanfiction, that would be both legal and appreciated d8^) Okay, here ya go:  
  
" " Spoken Japanese  
Spoken Chinese  
# # Panda signs  
' ' Thoughts  
  
  
  
I would like to acknowledge Warren Phillips, whose corrections and suggestions elevated this fic above a third grade writing level. I would also like to recognize Daniel Kim, who pointed out a few problems. d8^) Many Thanks.  
  
  
  
Angel 1/2 - Chapter 2: A Very Tragic Story  
  
A few months ago...   
  
The morning mist crawls over Jusendo, spreading its tendrils among its many hills and vales, and into the valley of Jusenkyö. The mist plays along the pools gathered there, swirling around the water and obscuring its edges. Nearby two men, one middle aged and one adolescent, prepare for their morning training session, each confident in his abilities.  
  
"This place doesn't look so great pop" complained a young man we all know so well. He snorted cockily as he assessed the valley. "A bunch of stupid sticks poking out of the water, sheesh. Pathetic."   
  
"Let's see if you are so confident after I finish wiping the floor with you, boy" said an elder man that most of us dislike so deeply.  
  
"Yeah right pop."  
  
And so the two of them headed into the valley, unaware that this would change their lives forever.  
  
A fat, middle aged Chinese man waddled up to them as them came upon the pools, his communist uniform rustling in the slight morning breeze. He said something in a dialect that the two travelers could not understand, smiling and waving at the pools.  
  
"Huh"  
  
"What?"  
  
The fat man paused, and evaluated the father and son for a moment. "Oh, you sirs is Japanese, no?" He waited for their nods. "This cursed training ground Jusenkyo, very tragic stories here."  
  
"Cursed huh, ridiculous" snorted the older man. "Come on boy," he shouted leaping to the top of a pole, "I won't go easy on you."  
  
"That's how I want it, old man," replied the boy, jumping in kind.  
  
"NO, sirs! Do not be doing those things. Very tragic curses in each pool."  
  
By then though, the two were much too occupied to be paying any attention...  
  
----------------------  
  
Meanwhile, in a rather secluded forest somewhere in China...  
  
"RANMA! You coward! How dare you run out on our man to man fight!" an angry young man shouted in his rage. He stopped, noticing for the first time his surroundings. A mask of confusion, frustration and anger slid into place over his face. The mask had an eerie sense of belonging and frequent use by this being.  
  
"Where the hell am I now!" He looked around again, turning full circle a few times, and sighed. "Might as well keep on going straight." With that he turned, and walked back the way he had come.  
  
"RANMA! This is all your fault!"  
  
----------------------  
  
...the panda leapt at him, leaving Ranma paralyzed in shock, defenseless to the strike which landed next. If one was watching closely, there seemed to be a shifting in the air, some indistinguishable change at that moment. It seemed the panda would lash out with one paw, but for some reason, switched to the other, sending the boy to his fate.  
  
----------------------  
  
Ryoga looked up from his map. He was on a cliff. He was supposed to be in the forest, and now he was on a cliff. Some of us lesser beings may wonder how a Hibiki was somehow able to shift from one local to another, without having to pass through the intervening space. This is one of those things best not pondered by the minds of mortals, and the author suggests you think on it no further.  
  
The fact remained that he was on a cliff. A cliff overlooking a valley. Ryoga did not find this strange, he was used to winding up in places, with no idea of how he got there. He did, however, find it rather irritating.  
  
"Damn you Ranma!"  
  
Growling, he replaced his map in his pack, shouldered it, and set off down the cliffside, studying the strange valley below.  
  
----------------------  
  
"Oh no! Young sir fall in pool of drowned... drowned... hot-mama!"  
  
A creature of beauty and power intertwined arose from the waters, flapping her luminous, blue-green wings and spraying water in all directions. She peered cautiously at the gawking panda, and man in turn. The panda was holding up a small sign #wow#, while the guide wordlessly mouthed the same.   
  
"Where am I?" she commanded of the guide. Asuralle was confused, a feeling decidedly unpleasant to her. The last the thing she remembered was her battle with Ishtanbrae, a battle whose outcome lay foggy in her mind. Seeing the guide still unresponsive, she tried to to discern the answer from her surroundings.  
  
'Hey! What's going on! Who's messing with my body?'   
  
Extremely shocked, Asuralle nearly dropped from the sky at this sound from within her mind. Suddenly, she felt some one grappling with her for control. Who it was, she did not know, but they had a lot of willpower. The battle raged for a few seconds, but she was able to remain on top.  
  
FLASH!  
  
CRASH!  
  
The lightning struck fast and hard, engraving a message into the ground. Knowing what it meant, she floated over to read the message.  
  
'IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, ASURALLE. YOU HAVE TAKEN FORM WITHIN THE BODY OF ANOTHER. UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE YOU WILL ALLOW HIM TO HAVE CONTROL OVER THE BODY, UNLESS IT IS BY HIS REQUEST OR IS NECESSARY. -KAMI-SAMA'  
  
Asuralle blanched, she did not know what was going on, but she had received orders from Kami-sama, and one did not question those. Quickly, she allowed the being struggling within her to rise to the top.  
  
A scream soon followed her action, and Ranma plummeted to the ground, having no idea as to the operation of wings. Luckily, Asuralle had been forced to descend to read the message, and the fall was short. The scream was not.  
  
"Oh, sirs, not scream, curse can be removed for time with hot water." This shut Ranma up and drew his father's attention. "Come with me, I get hot water for sirs."  
  
----------------------  
  
Cursing, Ryoga stumbled down the trail, tripping over rocks as he went. Rushing around a curve, he found him self unable to keep him balance, and thusly plummeting off the cliff to the valley below. Ryoga wasn't sure how Ranma had caused this, who knew how the worthless man caused anything, but he was deathly sure that this was all Ranma's fault.  
  
Directly below him, Ranma stood. He would have been chasing his stupid old man, but he was too busy trying to get the thoughts in his head straight  
  
'So... you're an angel?'  
  
'Yes, though how I wound up like this I fail to see. The guide spoke of taking the form of drowned victims, so this shouldn't of happened unless...'  
  
Now she could see. It all fell into place. She remembered the fight had taken place over some pools and... and she must of been cut down and drowned in one of them. But that meant... that meant that that Ishtanbrae was still out there. That meant that she had failed. She hung the mental image of her head in shame.  
  
'Hey, what's that?' thought the boy looking up at what seemed to be a flailing young man converging on his position.  
  
Judging this to be a necessary time, Asuralle quickly seized control of the body. She shushed Ranma's protests, and he calmed for a moment. Launching her self in the air, beautiful wings slowly flapping in the breeze. So slowly in fact, that it was clear that no laws of aerodynamics were keeping her afloat. Shooting up, she met the young man half way, saving him from what seemed to be an untimely death. (Had she known the interesting genetic qualities of the Hibikis, perhaps she would have realized it would only be a bruising experience for him.) She floated down and placed the young man gently on the ground.  
  
"Are you okay young man?" she asked with a slight trace of concern.  
  
"Uh... Uh... That is... uh" responded Ryoga intelligently, idly wondering why he hadn't gotten a nose bleed yet. He forcibly snapped himself out of it and bowed before the angel standing before him. "Thank you, I am in your debt... my lady." He was unsure why he had said 'my lady,' it just seemed right when applied to her.  
  
Her smile filled his world, "That is good to know, young sir. Why don't you head down to that hut there, the guide will let you rest yourself for a while."  
  
'Who is this guy, why does he seem so familiar,' pondered Ranma's disjoint consciousness.  
  
"Uh... Uh... Okay." said Ryoga, and he promptly ran off.  
  
'Okay... Ranma isn't it? I will allow you to resume control now.'  
  
A moment later Ranma stretched and smiled. 'Okay, we need to figure out what's goin' on... What should I call you?'  
  
'I am Asuralle, Angel, Second Class. Sixth Circle Battle, Fourth Circle Healing, Third Circle Divination/Illusion'  
  
'Uh, can I just call you Asuralle?'  
  
'Very well, for convenience sake.'  
  
'Cool title though, what's with that circle stuff?'  
  
'How to explain... I suppose I had better, I might be here for a while. (sigh) When an angel is first... created, I suppose is the term, they are considered third class, and are given a calling by father. It can be Battle, Healing, Natural Magics, Divination, Animal Conjuring, among many other things. They begin their calling in the first circle of skill, training and performing their duties in order to progress to higher levels of skill. My calling was combat, chosen so that I could protect my father and all my brothers and sisters.'  
  
'Father?'  
  
'Kami-sama'  
  
'oh' said Ranma, feeling very meek all of a sudden, a feeling he was not used to.  
  
'Once an angel has risen to a certain level, and performed a duty to prove their worth, they become of the second class, and may choose two secondary callings with which to accomplish deeds for the glory of father. Finally, when a second class angel has been judged worthy, they are given a truly challenging quest to prove their worth. Mine... mine was to subdue a very evil, evil demon who was causing havoc on the earth. And I failed.'  
  
'Subdue? Why couldn't you just kill him?'  
  
'No, no, you see there is this system that father set up where... that is, well I will explain later, we best get back to the cabin and see how that Ryoga boy is doing.'  
  
----------------------  
  
Meanwhile, back in the present...  
  
Nabiki stretched and greeted the world with a happy smile. Hmmm... strange, said the world. Strange indeed, for every morning for quite a while the world had grow used to seeing either a grimace, or a frown, or a feral smile at best. No, no, this was most definitely a happy smile. Not that the world minded the change, it would just have to get used to it. It shouldn't take very long: the world was quite used to the smiles of her elder sister.   
  
Nabiki, being the observant person that she is, also noticed the change in her demeanor. Nabiki, being the deducting person that she is, reasoned that something very good must have happened to her. Nabiki, being the present-minded person that she is, remembered Ranma.  
  
Nabiki, being the female person that she is, blushed.  
  
'Ranma's here, Ranma's here!' she mentally shouted, jumping from her bed, springing to her closet, leaping out of and into her outfit.  
  
'Ranma's here, Ranma's here!' her mind rejoiced, throwing open her door, hurtling the stairs, hunting for her prince.  
  
"Morning Nabiki, nice to see you, but... shouldn't you get changed out of your pajamas?  
  
He had spoken to her, blessed her with those wonderful words, he had... wait a sec. Changed? Looking down. Pausing. Looking. Blushing. Freaking. Running. Slamming.  
  
With a shrug, Ranma sat back down where he had gotten up to greet Nabiki.  
  
'Girls are strange.' 'Mortals are strange.'  
  
'Hey!' 'Excuse me!'  
  
Before the mental skirmish could escalate any farther, Akane arrived in her gi for her match with Ranma. A smile lit up her face.  
  
"Ready!" she said with exuberance. She was positively glowing (In the golden, happy way, not the slightly bluish, very angry way.) Finally she had a sparring partner who would help her improve. Even though he was a *little* bit better, he would take her seriously. She was in heaven.  
  
He smiled at her, it was as if the sun had dawned, lighting the world. "Okay Akane, lets go," were the words from her angel, as she followed him out to the dojo.  
  
----------------------  
  
Kasumi absentmindedly finished breakfast preparations. It was a very good thing that she was able to cook without really paying attention, for her mind was on much more important things.  
  
'Oh, I do hope Ranma enjoys his breakfast. He needs someone who can take care of him and knows how to manage a household. Akane and Nabiki need a few more years to practice, and I'm sure they will realize it soon.'  
  
She sighed happily, imagining Ranma thanking her for the delicious meal, imagining Ranma moving in to kiss her in thanks, imagining Ranma...  
  
"Oh my"  
  
She shook such thoughts from her head, and turned back to the meal, trying in vain to focus her attention on the preparation in front of her.  
  
----------------------  
  
She kicked, he dodged. She punched, he blocked. She had long since stopped trying to hold back, she knew she couldn't hurt him and was glad for it. She was a bit disappointed that he wasn't fighting back. She had hoped he would be able to help her train, but if he couldn't even attack her...  
  
"Ranma, how come you're not attacking me?"  
  
"Oh well... I... just didn't want to hurt you."  
  
'Why aren't you attacking, Ranma?'  
  
'Well, she's just a girl, I don't want to hurt her As.'  
  
'I'm *just* a girl Ranma! Don't give me that! Besides, can't you see she wants to be seen as a fighter, not a little doll. I may not be a mortal, but I can see that much.'  
  
'Well, I guess. But only if she asks.'  
  
"That's... nice of you Ranma," she said repressing a surge of anger at his inability to see her as a fighter. 'He just doesn't want to hurt me,' she calmly told herself. "... but I, that is, I can't get better if you don't attack."  
  
"I guess you're right," he sighed, moving into a more offensive position. He began to attack, and when he did hit her, it was pulled, with enough force to be slightly painful. Akane smiled, she could accept that. She didn't want to be unable to fight again tommorrow anyway. Besides, it was sweet how reluctant he was to see her in pain.  
  
A few moments later and it was over. She was on the floor, and he was reaching to help her up. "Akane?" She shook herself out of her daze of happiness to reach out to his hand, grasping it. How warm it was, smooth yet firm. Akane felt her temperature rise, thinking about how that wasn't the only part of him that was smooth and firm. In fact...  
  
"Ranma! Akane! Breakfast is almost ready. Time to wash up." called Kasumi from the doorway, looking on with a slightly concerned expression.  
  
----------------------  
  
The substitute Tendo matriarch hummed to herself as she began putting the final touches on breakfast. 'Oh, I just know our guest will love breakfast!' she thought happily. 'And his father,' she hastily added. Gliding across the floor, she went out to call in her Ranma. Her sister and Ranma, that is. Hearing sounds of combat from the dojo, she grabbed two towels and went to the doorway. With a sudden cry, she saw Akane land lightly on her posterior. A brief surge of motherly worry was quickly suppressed, replaced by a worry of quite a different nature as Ranma reached out to help her up, a smile on both their faces.  
  
"Ranma! Akane! Breakfast is almost ready. Time to wash up." she quickly interjected, telling herself she just wanted to have them to hurry to breakfast, and that there was really no ulterior motive in her interruption.  
  
"Oh... right." came the reply from her sister, sounding a bit dissapointed.  
  
"Thanks Kasumi! I'm starved," he said. In an instant Kasumi's uncertain feelings vanished, and her day brightened as he thanked her.  
  
"No trouble at all, Ranma." She handed Akane her towel, gently prodding her toward the dojo entrance with it. "Why don't you go get changed Akane, I'll just help my guest, our guest, here by cleaning him up, I mean... by helping him clean up." Briefly she saw Akane tinge a light blue, but it was quickly suppressed.  
  
"That's okay Kasumi, I can do it myself," Ranma offered. "You guys head in, I'll be in in just a sec."   
  
Kasumi's smile dropped a bit while her sister's grew a bit and Ranma failed to notice both. The two of them headed in, Akane's not so gentle nudging overcoming Kasumi's reluctance to leave.  
  
'Ranma, there's something strange going on between the two of them, and I'm not sure what it is.' Asuralle mentioned as Ranma straightened up the dojo.  
  
'Huh? What do you mean As?'  
  
'Well, there was an unusual amount of unspoken hostility between the two of them, I can sense it. It's so supressed though, I doubt either of them even knows it.'  
  
'Any idea what's causing it?'  
  
'I am afraid not Ranma, we will simply have to keep an eye on it.'  
  
'Okay,' finished the young martial artist, as he straightened the last of the fallen equipment. 'Let's go clean up.'  
  
----------------------  
  
Nabiki could not believe it. She was still blushing, how could she embarrass herself like that? She was always so collected. Come to think of it, why was she acting like this, was she not the ice queen? The heartless mercenary of Furinkan High? Did she not have a reputation to maintain?  
  
'But it's Ranma. He's my future husband, my angel. Nothing else is important.'  
  
'Look at yourself, you took off your pajamas, and put them on again. If he makes you act like that, like a helpless fool, do you really want him around.'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'But why?'  
  
'He's... He's... perfect.'  
  
'What about your sisters?'  
  
'Well, Akane hates boys anyway, and Kasumi has Dr. Tofu, so certainly they won't keep me from my happiness.  
  
Her logical half (actually, Nabiki's logical 'half' comprised 87% of her brain) sighed, backed off, and decided to take a vacation. It really deserved one anyway, Nabiki overworked it.  
  
Sighing, she gathered her clothes, and headed to the furo. She was certain she could avoid embarrassing herself again.  
  
Chance, growing a bit tired of tormenting a pig-tailed martial artist in most of the other universes she had visited, laughed and looked down at one of her many new toys.  
  
----------------------  
  
Akane smiled, as she stood up from the furo, and went to dry herself. It had been wonderful, one of the best matches in her life. She had confirmed her suspicions, she had a new sparring partner. And hopefully so much more... A bit of worry rose up with regards to her other two sisters. Kasumi... well Kasumi already had Dr. Tofu. Akane could admit that now, without the slightest trace of jealousy. Nabiki, well Nabiki didn't have anyone at the moment. But Nabiki wasn't interested in martial arts, while she and Ranma obviously were. Her worries eased, she let doubt be replaced by daydreams of her angel.  
  
Finishing her dressing, she exited the bathroom, to encounter Ranma waiting patiently in the hallway. Still wrapped up in her daydream, Akane was just about to tell him that she loved him too, when a question brought her back to reality.  
  
"Are you done Akane?" he peered inwardly again, in that strange fashion of his. "Finished, I mean. Are you finished?"  
  
Blushing from her thoughts of a moment ago, Akane could only nod in response. 'I can't believe I almost said that! I would have died! Next time I won't put out the occupied sign, I'll... WHAT! Oh no, I'm such a pervert!' she mentally cried, running to her room.  
  
'Huh? Wonder what was wrong with her, I hope she's okay.'  
  
'I am sure she is fine Ranma, now go clean up, I'm going to meditate for a while until you finish... bathing, okay?'  
  
'Ok As, I'll wake you up when I'm done. How come you always do that when I'm bathing anyhow?'  
  
'What do you mean? It's just... I need the quiet, okay. That is why, yes. I need the quiet.'  
  
'Okay, I'll wake you when I'm done.'  
  
With that he entered the bathroom, of course remembering to put the occupied sign up. Quickly disrobing, he filled the rinsing bucket and backed away from the wall. Ranma had learned a while back to make sure he had enough room to put his wings when he got wet. To do otherwise would be painful. He rinsed himself and then she put the bucket down. Scrubbing himself, she washed away the mild perspiration of nighttime and the heavier layer from her workout. Then came the difficult part. The wings.  
  
Ranma had also learned during the last few months that dirt and such carried over between forms, even onto her wings, despite the fact that there was no place for the dirt to go in his male form. Asuralle herself had been shocked by the development, saying that her wings had never gotten even slightly dirty before. She had finally chalked it up to the fact that she was no longer strictly immortal. And so, with Asuralle's help, Ranma had learned to preen. It was necessary every week or so, and that week was long up.  
  
Wrapping her wings about the body, Ranma quickly yet methodically removed pebbles and twigs, lightly washed away dirt, and cleansed the sweat out of the feathers. It was rather interesting to her, even now, to see the feathers up close, to feel the touch on her wing. It was a chore she really didn't mind, other than the fact that it reminded her of the curse. Then again, she had discovered she truly didn't mind the curse, because of the companion she had found in Asuralle.  
  
Finishing with a smile, Ranma stretched, and stepped into the furo for a little relaxation. He wished, just for a moment, that he could feel how his wings relaxed in the hot water. It was such a pleasing sensation to his muscles, he felt that he was missing out on something. Head back, eyes closed, mind drifting, Ranma failed to notice the door open.  
  
----------------------  
  
Nabiki is a creature whose cunning is difficult to measure. She is an enigma wrapped in a mystery who was often very successful in fooling even herself. Therefore, it is pointless to discuss whether or not the middle Tendo girl did or did not notice the occupied sign on the door and, if so, whether or not her brain chose to register it.  
  
We will, instead, look at the consequences of the fact that she, at the least, acted as if she had not.  
  
Opening the door, Nabiki stepped lightly into the bathroom. She quickly disrobed, placing her clothing into the small bathroom hamper. She placed her change of clothing onto the counter and, grabbing a towel, stepped towards the rinsing area.  
  
And then she saw him. In all his glory.   
  
'Ranma... naked... wow.'  
  
That was the approximate line of her thoughts before Nabiki Tendo, mercenary girl and former Ice Queen of Furinkan High had a nosebleed and passed out.  
  
The THUNK aroused Ranma from his very pleasant daydreams (He was dreaming of winning a worldwide martial arts competition, so get your minds out of the gutters!) Jumping up into a ready stance in the way that only he could, he quickly spotted Nabiki, and concern washed over him.  
  
'Woah, She must not have noticed the sign and slipped on the floor. Better take her downstairs.' Thought Ranma in the generous and unassuming way that only he could.  
  
He quickly averted his eyes and wrapped a towel around himself. 'Hey As, As, wake up!'  
  
'What? What is it Ranma?'  
  
'Nabiki's hurt, she must have not seen the sign on the door, and then slipped on the floor. I need to bring her downstairs but . . she's uh . . naked.'  
  
'Ah, ok, let me take over.'  
  
And she did. Ranma, as Asuralle had shown him, went into a light meditative trance where he was unable to notice what happened outside the body. Quickly, Asuralle covered Nabiki in her towel, making her decent.  
  
'Ok Ranma, here you go.'  
  
'Huh? Oh, right, okay.'  
  
And he stepped back in, gently lifting Nabiki into his arms and hurriedly rushing downstairs.  
  
----------------------  
  
A few minutes later Nabiki lay downstairs still unconscious. The Tendo patriarch was using upset wail #1,476 (my middle daughter slipped in bathroom and we don't know if she'll wake up) at the same time he and Genma were engaged in joyous dance #341 (my son/future son-in-law carried my daughter/possible daughter-in-law downstairs when she was unconscious and therefore he wants to marry her). Meanwhile, Akane and Kasumi altered between giving concerned looks at Nabiki, drooling over Ranma in a towel, and glaring at their sister (they had not been as generous as Ranma in assigning the reasons for Nabiki being in the bathroom.)  
  
"Is she going to be okay?" Ranma asked concernedly. At this Genma and Soun broke into another joyous dance the details of which we will not digress into here.  
  
"I'm sure she'll be fine" said the eldest. 'Not after I'm done with her, she won't. Oh my. Where did that come from?'  
  
'The nerve! Trying to peep at my Ranma! Serves her right.' Akane fumed mentally. 'But I hope she wakes up soon,' was added guiltily a moment later.  
  
"Huh? Who? Where am I?" Nabiki groggily sat up, holding a hand to her head. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh, you slipped in the bathroom Nabiki. You must NOT HAVE SEEN the occupied sign, and went in by accident. You slipped on something and apparently hit your nose on something. Even though it doesn't appear damaged in the least, that's the only way it could be bleeding, ISN'T IT Nabiki?" challenged Kasumi in a very forceful, and very non-Kasumiesque manner.  
  
"Uh, yeah, that's it. I slipped." In truth Nabiki wasn't entirely sure what had happened. Her mind, in an effort to prevent further blood loss, had erased the images of the furo scene from her memory.  
  
"I'm glad you're all right Nabiki, I gotta go get dressed now." said the divine mortal as he ran upstairs.  
  
(sigh)  
  
(sigh)  
  
(sigh)  
  
(glare)  
  
(glare)  
  
(glare)  
  
"So, NABIKI, what were you doing in the bathroom, huh?" gritted the youngest Tendo through clenched teeth.  
  
"I..." Nabiki considered making a smart remark, she didn't think Akane would hit her after all, but seeing the look in her eye she re-evaluated the situation. "I didn't see the sign, Akane. Chill." The words came out a little less confident than was standard for her.  
  
"Be certain it does not happen again little sister." With that Kasumi returned to serve breakfast, where the two clueless fathers already sat at the table. With a final glare of doom, Akane got up to go to the table. Nabiki, unsteadily getting up, went to the kitchen to wipe the blood off her nose.  
  
A moment later everyone was seated at the table, eagerly anticipating the delicious meal ahead. Kasumi quickly set the food on the table, and everyone prepared to dig in. Mr. Saotome made a grab for the food, but was stopped short by Ranma's elbow in his gut. "Manners father."  
  
Aside from a bit of grumbling by Genma, everyone served themselves in peace. The meal, of course, was delicious, and very little discussion occurred. The Tendo girls, however, had a great deal of trouble getting their food to their mouths, as their attention was occupied elsewhere.  
  
----------------------  
  
Here we go back to the past again...  
  
Ryoga headed to the hut just as the angel had told him. A small and curious smile was written into his features, a smile rarely seen and even more rarely held by his face, prematurely hardened by a prematurely hard life. 'Wow, she was pretty. I wonder why I didn't get a nosebleed? No one's ever been that nice to me. I have to find her again! Ranma, this is all... wait. There's no way that was Ranma's fault, that honorless scum. He would never cause something this wonderful to happen to me.' Thoughts of his rival erased the smile, leaving no trace of the brief moment of happy contemplation as the mask slid back into place.  
  
Looking up, Ryoga noted the hut off in the distance. He also noticed that he was standing in the middle of a field of pools, each with a stick of bamboo standing proudly from its depths. Shrugging, he headed towards the hut, but found himself somehow getting farther from it. Ryoga grew a bit more concerned at this.  
  
'That's strange, I can usually get to a place if I keep it in my sight.'  
  
Now is the time that an important concept must be introduced to the reader, in order to explain the following event which may otherwise be dismissed as unlikely coincidence. Many of you may know that the entire world is governed by a giant computer, specifically Yggradasil. Not that Kami-sama wasn't fully capable of doing it himself (1), for he was, he just got bored of all the busy work, and so he made this big old computer to do it for him, while he took care of the big decisions. Now it so happens that a big part of this computer was a section called the doublet system, used to maintain the necessary balance of good and evil in the universe. Most who knew of its existence though it to be no more than a single rule based on the conflict of the gods. In actuality, it employed many methods of maintaining the balance, and one of these methods was about to be put to use.  
  
It is so then, that Ryoga, one of the most skilled martial artists of his generation, a master of his body and its actions, managed to trip over a small rock and land in the pool in front of him. What emerged was something out of nightmare. Bat-like wings extended far to the sides of its hideously perfect body. Glowing red eyes were sunken into the hollow face, and they gleamed with an evil cunning. The fangs, the same little fangs which had been called 'cute' by many in many realms and many universes, grew to be grotesque daggers of bone, promising pain and death. The body of the poor boy grew wider, bulkier, filled with a raw, powerful musculature. His traveling boots were ripped as claws forced their way through the leather. And his bandana, The beautiful Hibiki bandana, yellow with black marks randomly spattered throughout, the bandana was ripped as two black horns forced their way through.  
  
The being, the demon, laughed. It was a merciless laugh, one that promised death. He scanned the area, in much the same way as a certain angel had a few hours past.  
  
"Where is she? How long was I out? Where is Asuralle!" his voice matched his body with a hellish perfection. It resonated in much the same way as fingernails on a blackboard, though with much more pain and fear and with a deeper, more sinister sound.  
  
'What's going on! What's happening! Ranma, this is all your fault!' Ishtanbrae grinned at the hatred he felt in that last statement, overcoming his confusion as to what was happening. Noticing the guide paralyzed with fear, he swept down to "talk" with the man.  
  
"What has happened to me fool?" commanded the demon, in the immortal and ancient language that all can somehow understand.  
  
"Ah... Ah... young sir fall into spring of drowned demon. Tragic story of angel who drown demon in pool many thousands years ago, but then drown in other pool self. Very tragic. Now whoever fall into pool take body of demon.  
  
"What! You mean..." It all made sense. That was why he couldn't remember what had happened. He had died, but so had Asuralle. That he was back meant that some fool must have fallen into the pool. That must be the voice in his head. Remembering what else the guide had said, he furthered his questioning. "The spring of drowned angel, has anyone used it! Has anyone fallen in old man?!"  
  
"Y.. yes sirs, just two maybe three hours past young sir fall into pool and take body of beautiful angel." The guide, having an astute sense of self-preservation, quickly sensed the next question, and answered it in turn. "They go to Nerima, Japan."  
  
At this, Ishtanbrae sensed a flood of emotion flowing through him, the boy wanted to find Asuralle and thank her. A sneer came onto his face but was quickly removed when the boy tried to regain control and almost succeeded. He decided that since the young boy wanted to find the bitch anyway, and he didn't know of any Nerima, that he would just let the boy take him there. 'Very strong-willed for a mortal. I'm sure he'll lead me right to Nerima.' Quickly letting the boy take control, Ishtanbrae moved to direct the situation.  
  
"What? Who?"  
  
The guide returned from his hut where he had gone briefly. "Here young sir," he said standing on the tips of his toes to pour the water over Ryoga. "is hot water. Hot water change you back to human, cold water now makes you demon. Am so sorry. No cure for Jusenkyo."  
  
'Boy,' thought the demon trying to be as friendly as it is possible for a minion of hell to be, 'lets go find that angel.'  
  
'Who are you?' Ryoga was very confused, much more than usual.  
  
'Your new best friend. I was . . er . . sent here to help you find Asu . . I mean the angel'  
  
Now Ryoga who, contrary to popular belief, is not stupid, knew something was up. He could, after all sense the demon's thoughts to a certain extent. And the demon, in turn, sensed this suspicious feeling. 'And... and I can help you beat... er, whatshisname... Ranma. Yeah, I can help you get back at him.'  
  
Though he wasn't stupid, Ryoga did have a limited capacity for a logical train of thought, and his train was promptly derailed at the mention of his hated enemy. 'RANMA... you're going to help me get Ranma?'  
  
'Yeah, I saw him headed to Nerima after the angel, he's probably going to kill her.'  
  
'Ranma? No... I don't think he'd... kill someone anyway.' responded the lost boy in an uncharacteristically generous thought.  
  
'Ravish?'  
  
"RANMA! YOU FIEND! I will not allow you to ravish that beautiful creature! Now! Japan is to the north, I think."  
  
And with that Ryoga was off, heading towards the setting sun on his way to Nerima.  
  
----------------------  
  
"School? Okay sounds good."  
  
"Not so fast boy, we are going to be here for a while, and you . . . what? Okay?"  
  
"Yeah, As has been helping me a lot in ancient history, grammar and stuff... and in other subjects, but she's a little short on some of the more recent developments in history, like the whole AD part, as well as math and the sciences. So, I figure... I believe it will be a good opportunity to catch up a bit."  
  
Whap! "Boy! You're turning into a wimpy scholar-boy! What's all this about you going to school anyhow?"  
  
"You suggested it father, and for once you have a good idea."  
  
Genma paused, he could either admit that he had made a mistake, allow Ranma to become a wimpy scholar-boy, or defy logic and deny he had said anything. Which one do you think he picked? "I suggested nothing of the kind boy? Now, you will stay here and practice the art."   
  
"Forget it pop, I'll see you later." Ranma thought he heard Kasumi sigh in dissapointment at this proclamation, but that couldn't be right. He grabbed the lunch from the counter, "Thanks Kasumi!" He took the proffered pack, "Thanks Nabiki," and donned it on his shoulder.  
  
"Sure Ranma! I'll walk you to school."  
  
"WE'LL walk you to school," amended Akane, glaring at Nabiki.  
  
"Okay, sounds good." A smile was all that the two Tendo's needed to melt their insecurities away, and return the smile to their lips.  
  
And they headed out, walking along the sidewalk. "So, what's Furinkan like?" said Ranma, trying to make conversation.  
  
"It's a little... unusual, I suppose." Nabiki responded quickly, not giving her sister a chance.  
  
"Really? Great! I was afraid it would be a boring-type school."  
  
"Oh, no chance of boring at Furinkan, Ranma." added Akane.  
  
Splash! The little old lady dropped her ladle in wonder. Ranma's hair grew red and longer. Her face grew softer, but with underlying angles, giving it greater form and beauty. She shrunk barely an inch in height, widening and thinning in different places. But most importantly was the wings, they grew out in an instant, but it seemed longer. Expanding through the carefully made slits in Ranma's outfit, they stretched, filling out, completing her with their blue-green majesty.  
  
"Just great." Ranma stopped, concentrated for a few seconds starting to sweat, and the wings disappeared. The few people who had witnessed the transformation decided it was a figment of their imaginations, and went on their way.  
  
"Ranma! How did you... do that?" exclaimed a confused Nabiki. Akane just stared.   
  
"Oh, useful trick really. They are still there, just invisible. Go ahead, feel." They did just that, mouths opening in wonder. "Heh. I'm surprised this is a shock to you, after seeing me change bodies, I thought simple invisibility would be no big deal. Anyway, is there a place we can get hot water on the way to school? I'll tell you the story on the as we walk."  
  
"Yeah, Dr. Tofu's," Akane quickly replied, "come on."  
  
As the three headed there, Ranma related his story.  
  
"Well, as you might think, the wings kinda draw a lot of attention, even more than the curse really, mainly cause they're bigger. Anyway sometimes, I found out, this is attention you most definitely do not want. People did a lot of weird things, anywhere from worshiping me, to hunting me, to bringing me their children to cure some disease from. There was even an entire Kendo club in one town who sought to free the 'pig-tailed angel' from my 'vile magic.' They actually believed we were different people, can you believe that?"  
  
"No, weird."  
  
"Yeah, pretty stupid. You would have to be REALLY thick to think that."  
  
"Yeah, well, Asuralle has been teaching me some magic. Some of it, illusion it's called, lets me make things invisible. Only problem is, I'm not very powerful right now, so I can't maintain this field for very long, and I can't do it more than once or twice a day. I'll get more powerful though. As says that eventually I'll be able to hold the field up constantly."  
  
"That's really neat Ranma, but who's Asuralle?" asked Nabiki sweetly, a tinge of jealousy seeping into her innocent question.  
  
Ranma, being Ranma, did not notice this. "Oh, she's the angel that drowned in the spring. She teaches me stuff now, and she's a great friend."  
  
'I appreciate the compliment Ranma, but refrain from using the word: stuff, okay?'  
  
"Okay As. Anyway Nabiki, I..."  
  
"We're here," announced Akane, signaling their arrival at the office and home of Dr. Tofu Ono, resident chiropractor and physician.  
  
"I'll tell you more about it later." he finished as they went into the clinic.  
  
"Dr. Tofu!" queried Akane.  
  
"Just a minute. Be right there." came the calm reply. A moment later Ranma's magical senses felt a presence behind her. Training in the magics of divination had made it increasingly difficult for anyone to sneak up on her. Spinning around into a defensive stance, Ranma saw a young man in his early twenties, slightly taller than herself. He had glasses, and a small ponytail neatly tied.  
  
"K... K... Kasumi?" muttered the man as his glasses began to fog.  
  
"No," was the reply.  
  
The man shook his head and peered at Ranma, "You're not Kasumi. I wonder why I thought that? Hmmm."  
  
Ranma looked questioningly at Akane. Getting the hint, she walked up to the pair. "Dr. Tofu, this is my friend, Ranma. Ranma, Dr. Tofu." The two bowed slightly, and exchanged greetings.  
  
"I have a question young lady, if you don't mind. Actually, three. One, how did you know I was behind you? Two, How are you performing invisibility? And three, where do your wings come from?"  
  
"Wha?" Ranma stared at the doctor in amazement. "Well... to answer all three questions succinctly, magic. How did you know?" Ranma allowed the invisibility to disperse.  
  
"Ki fields, very hard to hide those." the young doctor said, cloaking his amazement at the appearing wings very well. "Suppress, yes. Hide, no. Mind telling me more, I must say this is one of the more interesting things I've seen."  
  
"ONE of the more interesting cases?!"  
  
"Yes, I have some patients who tend to keep some unique . . features a secret. So they come to me."  
  
"What kind of features?"  
  
"Sorry, confidential you know. I can guarantee the same for you, and maybe help you if you have any problems with these," he said gesturing to the wings, "or anything else."  
  
"Uh, ok. Akane, what time does school begin?" Ranma asked of her.  
  
"Not for another half an hour Ranma, since we ate so early and left early as well." interjected Nabiki before her sister had the opportunity to answer.  
  
"Ok, I have to warn you doctor, it is a very convoluted story." said the young angel uncertainly.  
  
"Ah, but those are the best kind," responded the physician with a knowing smile.  
  
Unbeknownst to Ranma, a championship glaring match was occurring not ten feet behind his back. It was of such epic proportions, that Nabiki regretted not having set up betting for it.  
  
"Ok, this is how it happened..." and quickly Ranma told about Jusenkyo, about Asuralle and how great she was. He told of the journey from there to Nerima, leaving out many details due to time constraints. Finally, he finished with his arrival at the Tendo home the night before. During the telling, the doctor had heated some water and changed Ranma back to his birth-form. 'Ah, so THIS is what the glaring match was for,' he thought.  
  
"Absolutely fascinating young man. Definitely in the top three stories I've heard. Thank you for giving me your confidence, I will keep it with honor." he said seriously. "And I expect you to do the same, ladies," he finished, looking at Nabiki meaningfully.  
  
"Yes sir," she replied.  
  
"Thank you very much doctor, but we have to go now, so we can get to school," said the newly male Ranma.  
  
"Yes, yes. If you have an opportunity, Mr. Saotome, I would like to speak with you about this in more depth. Maybe even talk with Asuralle, if you don't mind."  
  
"Okay, sure thing, doctor. I'll stop by when I get a chance."  
  
-----------------  
  
  
The trio had once again headed out the door and turned towards Furinkan. As they drew closer, Akane remembered about her morning fight. For a moment, she was depressed. Then an idea struck, it would be the perfect opportunity to prove her skills as a fighter to Ranma.  
  
"Hey Ranma" she opened.  
  
"Yes, Akane."  
  
"When we get to school, a whole lot of guys are going to attack me, but I can handle them so don't help me, ok?"  
  
"Huh? Why are they going to attack you?"  
  
"Oh, this moron named Kuno thinks that I want to date him, even though I don't. So he told the school, 'If you wish to date Akane Tendo, you must defeat her.'"  
  
"Yes, Kuno's a little unstable, his family has a history of mental problems, so be careful with him," added Nabiki. She didn't want her new fiancee getting hurt.  
  
"Unstable, huh?" 'Maybe we can help him a little, right As?'  
  
'Ranma, you have to learn you can't help everyone you come across. Just because you did it once, doesn't mean you can do it again (2)'  
  
'Oh, come on As, it's two birds with one stone. If I help this Kuno guy, maybe he'll leave Akane alone.'  
  
'Very well, Ranma. As usual, you have failed to heed my advice. Ah well.' she thought in a tone that didn't sound very disappointed, despite the words she said.  
  
"Anyway, Akane, I can't just let you fight those guys, you could get hurt."  
  
"Ranma, I've been doing it for a long time now, let me handle it." she responded in a surprisingly forceful tone.  
  
"... ok... but if you look like you're in trouble, I'm not going to stand by and watch."  
  
As he finished, they arrived at the gates, and the cries began.  
  
"AKANE! I will defeat you!"  
  
"No, I will!"  
  
"Get away from Akane! I will be the one the defeat her!"  
  
SLAM!  
  
BAM!   
  
CRUNCH!  
  
SMASH!  
  
A collective groan rose up around Akane's heavily breathing form, and silence filled the air.  
  
"Truly! Such a boorish lot!"  
  
Heads turned. A tall young man had appeared in front of Akane. He was dressed in traditional clothing, spurning the school uniform. His features were classically handsome, though nothing spectacular. The young man's features were complimented by the rose in his hand. He leveled his bokken at Akane.  
  
"Evidently each of them intends to date you, on the dawn that he finally defeats you."   
  
"Upperclassman Kuno," Akane acknowledged with a set jaw and little enthusiasm. "Good morning."  
  
The tall student removed a rose from his teeth, and threw it to Akane, "and might you fight with me Akane Tendo?"  
  
Akane sighed and placed her bag on the ground. "Ok, Kuno, lets get this over with."   
  
"Oh, beautiful day. The gods surely smile on I, Tatewaki Kuno, that the lovely Akane wishes to fight with me to prove herself worthy of my love."  
  
"Hey! Who said anything about my wanting to?! And what love!?"  
  
"Do not fear, Akane. Once I have defeated you as gently as I dare, you shall be free to admit your love for me." With that, Tatewaki (3) rushed forward. He slashed, she dodged. He feinted to the left, but somehow made his true intentions clear before slashing towards Akane, allowing her to avoid the blow easily.  
  
'What's this,' thought Ranma, 'I swear he's telegraphing his moves on purpose, letting her know exactly how to avoid them. How can she not see this? Hmm, that means he either doesn't want to hurt her, or doesn't really want to date her.'  
  
'Most likely the former, Ranma. If he did not wish to date her, he wouldn't have made the proclamation in the first place. At least, I think not. Then again, mortals are strange creatures.'  
  
'Hey!' thought Ranma in mock anger. 'We're not so bad. Anyway, they said he's unstable, so anything's possible.  
  
By then the fight was over. Akane stormed into the school, momentarily forgetting about her sister and fiancee. Kuno lay in an unconscious heap along with a few of the remaining boys. Most had gone to class, after recovering from minor injuries. It was these that Ranma checked on; four or five boys still incapacitated from the morning's fight. He checked them over. One, with a broken arm, he sent to the nurse. Another two he helped to their feet, and recruited them in carrying a fourth, unconscious, to the nurse. They all gave their thanks for his efforts. He asked Nabiki to go inside so she wouldn't be late. She complied.   
  
Finally, he reached Kuno. He was bruised up, unconscious, but otherwise ok. Ranma, after ensuring no one was around, allowed a slight glow to appear over Tatewaki's prone form. It glowed a light yellow for half a second, and then winked out. He stood up 'Hmm, now . . how can I get close to this guy?'  
  
A groan escaped from beneath him, as Kuno sat up shakily from the ground. Ranma extended his hand and Tatewaki took in a moment later. "I appreciate your help sir, but I cannot place your name."  
  
"Saotome. Ranma Saotome, and you are?"  
  
Tatewaki's mouth opened very wide, as if to shout, but he quickly grasped his head in pain. He opted for a simpler approach. "Tatewaki Kuno, upperclassman of Furinkan. Captain of the Kendo club."  
  
Ranma shuddered a moment in remembrance of the last Kendo club he had dealt with, but he reminded himself that this was not the same one. "Well, upperclassman Kuno, I am a new student here. I must say I am impressed by your skills and your endurance, you took quite a beating."  
  
"Of course! I am the undefeated star of the high school fencing world! Nothing can hurt me for long."  
  
Ranma suppressed an urge to gag at the unrelenting surge of ego. After all, before Asuralle he had been almost that bad. "Truly, that explains your skill, Kuno. I, too, am skilled in the martial arts, being heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling. I have been looking for partners with whom to hone my skills, but I am afraid that none so far in Nerima have been up to the task. I feel that perhaps we may be able offer each other a challenge, so we may improve our skills mutually."  
  
"Your offer is intriguing Ranma Saotome, but first I must witness your skills so that I may know if you will be a partner worthy of my person! Today, after school, we will meet in combat, so that I may witness you and your school in battle. So says Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!"  
  
And the lightning flashed in the sky.  
  
----------------------  
Author's Notes:  
  
(1) I refer to Kami-sama as a he in this fic. Please do not take offense to this. I simply do not want to have to keep typing he/she all the time. Thank you.  
(2) Did it once huh? Did what once? Helped someone? Help someone with mental problems? What is it? I'm not going to tell you yet d8^p  
(3) Yes. Tatewaki. Not plain Kuno. Tatewaki. I plan to develop him a bit beyond the block-headed upperclassman Kuno who mindlessly attacks Ranma and tries to win his two loves. For those of you who only know of Ranma through fanfiction, you may be unaware what I am talking about. To clarify, Kuno is his *last* name. I'm sure most of you know this, but there are a few that don't. His full name is Tatewaki Kuno, just as his sister's full name is Kodachi Kuno. See. Same last name.  
  
No, I haven't forgotten the Amazon's. The village experience will probably be in next chapter.  
----------------------  
  
Ja ne,  
  
Rudy 


	3. Pride

Rudy Henkel  
The Turner Of The Wheel  
TurnerOfTheWheel@hotmail.com  
Started: 4/22/01  
  
This is a Ranma ½ and Ah! My Goddess crossover; it will possibly include other series at a later date. If you are not familiar with Ranma 1/2, then don't read this, there is no point.  
  
Note that I use no Japanese language other than Kami-sama, (roughly used to refer to an ultimate god or being) I only use that because there is no convenient and satisfactory translation, and things like furo, which are specific to Japanese culture. This fic is written in English, I write in English.  
  
Disclaimer  
Ranma belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and some companies, Ah! My Goddess belongs to Kosuke Fujishima and some companies. Sailor Moon belongs to some other person and some other companies. None of them belong to be, but everything else in here is mine. And if you want to give me money for a reason unrelated to this fanfiction, that would be both legal and appreciated d8^) j/k. Okay, here you are:  
  
" " Spoken Japanese  
Spoken Chinese  
# # Panda signs  
' ' Thoughts  
  
Angel 1/2 - Chapter 3: Pride  
  
Ranma stood in front of the class, nervous and sweating from all the stares he was getting. Some were hostile, some were decidedly, well... not hostile; they were all intense.  
  
"Class, we have a new student today, he's just returned from a training trip to China, say hello to Ranma..." the teacher paused as she looked up, "Ranma... Saotome."  
  
Ranma bowed to the class, "Good morning, it is a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling. 'Hmm, that's strange, I wonder if there is some sort of fainting bug going around...' he thought as several of the female students slumped to their desks, sighing.  
  
'Perhaps, Ranma, but I don't sense any viral energies.'  
  
Ranma shrugged, "Teacher, I was late, and I apologize. Should... should I go stand in the hall?" Ranma asked apprehensively, and was a bit taken aback by the reaction he got.  
  
"NO!" came the response from the teacher and about half the class. The other half was beginning to look a little perturbed… The teacher continued, "No Ranma, that... that won't be necessary." 'Impure thoughts, impure thoughts! Teacher-student relationship inappropriate! You would lose your job! Oh gods, but he's so beautiful'  
  
"Thank you teach... er, teacher, I'll try not to do it again." Another smile. "Teach!" He managed to catch her just before she hit the ground.  
_______  
  
"He's my fiancée Kuno-baby," Nabiki said with an uncommon smile on her face.  
  
"Nabiki Tendo, methinks you are ill, for would you not normally charge me for this information!"  
  
"Huh?" Nabiki blinked and stared at Kuno for a moment as her eyes re-focused, "oh, yeah... 5000 yen." She held out her hand, and Kuno happily obliged, relieved that she appeared to be acting as normal now.  
  
"Is he truly, as he has spoken, the heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling? For he believes that his skill may provide a challenge for mine, which, needless to say, I find nigh on unbelievable. Is he one that may indeed be worthy of combat with my greatness? ... Nabiki Tendo?"  
  
"Huh ... oh, yeah, he's good Kuno-baby. He's *real* good..." *sigh*  
_______  
  
'Maybe we should take her to the nurse, As?' Ranma queried, holding the teacher delicately in his hands.  
  
'Nonsense. Just do what I taught you.'  
  
'Ok...' was the dubious reply, Ranma focused inward for a moment, and pushed a bit of energy into the figure held in his arms.  
  
*plik* *plik* Two eyes opened and looked up into those shining blue orbs. 'Am I... dead,' she thought with wonder.  
  
Ranma quickly set her on her feet and backed away, "Heh, sorry about that teacher, you passed out for a moment. Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes I'm fine... now."  
  
Ranma glanced around the room. 'Huh, I wonder why all the girls are glaring at the teacher and all the guys are glaring at me.' *shrug* 'Ah well...' "Teacher, where should I sit?"  
  
"You should sit..." the teacher paused, looking for the seat closest to her, "Masaki! Move to the back! Ranma, you can have Mr. Masaki's seat, next to Miss Tendo." the teacher said smiling.  
  
"Ok..." Ranma answered dubiously, moving to the seat. 'I wonder why that poor kid had to move, he looks like a nice enough guy, maybe he broke a rule yesterday?'  
  
'Perhaps, Ranma, it is best not to speculate too much on these things.'  
_______  
  
Akane sat watching the entire incident, silently fuming. 'Why that minx! She's a teacher! How dare she be making moves on my Ranma like that! My fiancée! My fiancée! My fiancée! My fiancée!'  
  
Akane failed to notice that the last was spoken, no shouted, aloud, as she latched onto Ranma's arm.  
_______  
  
Ranma failed to notice Akane's mounting anger. He did not, however fail to notice, when she made her proclamation and latched onto his arm. Nor did he fail to notice when half the angry gazes moved from the teacher to Akane. Finally, he did not fail to notice when the glares directed at him redoubled in force.  
  
'Gulp! Make that quadrupled!'  
  
'Ranma I suggest a tension alleviation spell. But be careful, you haven't had much practice, after all.'  
  
'Good idea, I'll do it, no problem! Um... how did it go again? Oh yeah!'  
  
Ranma performed a quick series of words and gestures, and smiled as the class seemed to relax.  
  
'Yeah, I did...'  
  
A collective snore rose up from the classroom.  
  
'it?'  
  
'Ranma, Ranma, Ranma...'  
_______  
  
"Note, when integrating cosine squared, it is best to use the identity that cosine squared equals one plus cosine of two theta all over two..." the teacher droned on, interrupted only but the occasional thump of a student fainting in her chair.  
  
Ranma paid drowsy attention to the board as class sluggishly continued. He was sleepy, but awake, thanks to his ever-present companion.  
  
'Ranma! Eyes Open NOW!' she chided  
  
'Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry As, I'm trying, really, I just feel really tired for some reason. Plus this calculus stuff is kinda...'  
  
'AHEM'  
  
'sorry, sorry, *kind of* dull. When am I gonna... going to need to integrate some half-angle thingy?'  
  
'It is your duty, Ranma, as a student of this institution, to do your utmost to absorb the knowledge and wisdom put forth by your teachers, however confusing it may be. And don't say *thingy*'  
  
'Yeah, I guess. I just really wish everyone would stop staring at me. . .'  
_______  
  
Lunch time. Ranma sits under a shady tree eating his lunch, or rather being fed lunch by a competing Akane and Nabiki.  
"Here Ranma, have some more fish!"  
  
"No, Ranma wants some more rice, don't you Ranma?"  
  
"Heh! I'm sure it's all very good," 'jeez, I can't believe everyone is being so nice to me just because this is my first day,' he thought with a smile, then frowned when a few more girls dropped to the ground.   
  
Ranma looked around the schoolyard, idly noting that the nearly all of the school's female population was surrounding the tree he was eating at. On the other side of the school, a bunch of guys were bunched together, apparently talking among themselves.  
  
Ranma's thoughts were interrupted as a pickle was abruptly shoved into his mouth. Gagging on reflex for a moment, he quickly swallowed it, choking a bit as he did so. 'Strange,' he thought, 'the girls don't seem to be getting along very well.' He thought as he noted that the battle auras of several of the girls were slowly rising.  
  
'They all probably want to eat with the new kid Ranma, I wouldn't worry about it.'  
  
'Yeah, but why are they all girls?'  
  
'I haven't the foggiest Ranma.'  
  
Then Ranma noticed something out of the corner of his eye, something that happened far too often, something that he had come to fear. Someone was about to trip with a glass of water in hand.  
  
It was over very quickly, a fallen student, and rushed apology that suddenly trailed off as a shimmering pair of wings spread into the air, and Ranma quickly got to her feet. Glancing around, she noticed a mixed reaction of amazement, awe and... disappointment. Several girls were looking around, trying to find, apparently, where Ranma had gone and failed, in a state of hormonal upheaval, to notice the transformed being in front of them.  
  
'Oh jeez, As, should we tell them.'  
  
'Might as well, this is bound to happen on a regular basis, based on our previous luck.'  
  
'ok' "Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this."  
_______  
  
On the other side of the schoolyard, a council of war was underway.  
  
"This is ridiculous!"  
  
"stealing all the girls"  
  
"damn pretty boy"  
  
"gotta get him"  
  
"how we going to do"  
  
"I've just the thing"  
  
The scheming was interrupted by the collective gasp that emanated from the schoolyard cherry tree. As the group turned to see what the commotion was about, another murmur of surprise broke out, and the majority of the group hightailed it over to the tree, to see what had caused the commotion. Oh yeah, and to check out who that gorgeous babe with wings was, too.  
_______  
  
"So, let me get this straight: You are Ranma, and when you get splashed with cold water you turn into an angel, and hot water changes you back?" asked a girl, Nabiki's age; Ayumi, if Ranma remembered correctly.  
  
A nod and a nervous grin.  
  
"Ok then."  
  
"YOOOOOWWWWCCH!" exclaimed Ranma as he was simultaneously hit by no less than five cups of tea.  
  
A groan of disappointment and raging hormones rose from the male student body, as the all looked in their lunches for some cold water.  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
Ranma, once again, found herself the victim of several splashings. Her shirt was now sopping wet, her ire raised, and her mood ruined. She lept to her feet, irritated and confused.  
  
"What are you all doing?! Don't you have better things to do than splash me?!"  
  
A stunned silence. The reaction was mixed; several girls, who had missed out on the chance before, doused Ranma in tea again. Several lips quivered as a few girls turned and ran, crying. The boys, with a few exceptions, were staring intently at Ranma's *ahem* assets, and so did not witness the outburst.  
  
'Aw geez' "Hey wait! I'm sorry, don't cry!" Ranma yelled running after the few, the rest of the student body following.   
_______  
  
Makoto was not having a very good day at her new school. She was not having a very good life, really. After the major falling out she had had with her friends, she had decided to move to Nerima to keep tabs on the occasional demon sighting posted from there.  
  
***FLASHBACK***  
  
"They almost died because of you, Makoto!"  
  
The sailor senshi stood around a pair of hospital beds. Two figures lay hooked up to life support. One a girl with long, blond hair, done into an interesting style. The other, a cute, short, blue-haired girl. Both apparently unconscious.  
  
"Yeah! If you hadn't been so busy in that stupid martial arts tournament, we would have killed the thing no problem!"  
  
"And now we don't even know if they'll be okay!"  
  
"Get out of here, I don't even want to speak to you right now!"  
  
***END FLASHBACK***  
  
Makoto sighed. She knew they would of forgiven her eventually, but she could not forgive herself, could not erase the horrible guilt that lay on her shoulders.  
  
And so it was that Makoto was not having a good first day at her new school. Furinkan High, she believed. She got through her first few classes okay, only because she didn't want to sleep and dream of those looks her friends had given her. Lunch arrived, and with it a reprieve. Makoto went outside, carrying her bento with her.  
  
"Hey. Where is everyone?"  
  
She looked around the yard. 'Aha.' Spotting the huge cluster of students over by the cherry tree, she quickly made her way over to see what the commotion was all about. Being taller than most, she was able to work her way in and see what the focus of attention was.  
  
'Wow. He looks just like... no, he looks a hell of a lot better than my old boyfriend!'  
  
She came just in time to witness the water-related fiasco and ensuing confusion. 'Wow! Are those wings real?! And what happened to the hunk?' A frown made it self comfortable on Makoto's face. 'I wish Ami was here to use her little computer.'  
  
She looked up from her painful reminiscing as the mysterious boy shot past her after some crying girls, just in time to avoid being trampled by the rush of students following after him. *SPLASH* Make that her.  
_______  
  
Back in class after lunch, Ranma slumped in his chair. Sighing as he thought back to the events of just minutes ago, he slid farther into his seat.  
  
'What is wrong with everyone around here, As? I know I haven't been around people very much, but still... I don't remember them being this weird.'  
  
'I think I might actually have an idea, Ranma. I remember reading about this in my studies as an angel. A condition humans suffer from under certain conditions. It took me a while to come to this conclusion but I believe that those students... wish to mate with you.'  
  
'Huh? You mean...' "WHAT!?"  
  
A few heads turned, as most were already focused on Ranma. They saw a beet-faced young man leap from his chair to stare around the classroom. Frantically moving his gaze from one girl to the next, Ranma tried to stop the small trickle of blood from escaping from his nose. This failing, he did the only thing he could do, he took a little nap.  
_______  
  
Ranma awoke on a reasonably comfortable bed, facing the ceiling. He did not actually see the ceiling, however, as two faces interposed themselves between him and it.  
  
"Na... Na... Nabiki? A... Akane?"  
  
'Hmm... I wonder why he turned so red all of a sudden' was the thought of the younger sister.  
  
'Yes! I knew the extra cleavage would do it!' was the self-congratulatory though of the other, accompanied by a smirk.  
  
"Are you alright Ranma?" was the concerned question from both.  
  
A soundless nod was all Ranma could manage, as he tried in vain to focus his sight somewhere other than the two sets of extremely... interesting stuff in front of him.  
  
'Oh, honestly!' was Asuralle's exasperated thought as she quickly and easily wrested control from Ranma in his befuddled state of mind.  
  
"Would you two get off of him? Honestly, throwing yourselves at him like that! I heard humans were helpless to their impulses, but this is too much!"  
  
A look of extreme mortification and confusion alit on the faces of the two.  
"Wait a second, 'at him?' What's going on?" asked Nabiki.  
  
"Hmm... oh, yes. Asuralle, angel, at your service. Ranma was unable to keep his eyes focused in a proper location, so I stepped in for a moment."  
  
"Oh."  
  
'Wait he was staring at my breasts! That perv... per...' Akane tried to ignore the growing heat in her face and elsewhere, as images of Ranma doing more than just looking crept into her mind. "Ah! I'm such a pervert!" Akane began to beat herself with a mallet, as Asuralle looked on in confusion.  
_______  
  
*whisper* "Someone's taking on Kuno"  
  
*mumble mumble* "New guy"  
  
*gossip* "Nice butt"   
  
*sigh* "He's so dreamy"  
  
The school day had ended and the yard was packed, overflowing with hormonally charged and curious teenagers, waiting to see the fight. Word had quickly spread that the two would be fighting, and no one wanted to miss it.  
  
"Ten thousand five hundred, ten thousand six hundred, ten thousand seven hundred!"  
  
Nabiki smiled and put away the roll of yen in her jacket. It was amazing what these buffoons would pay for, she charged them for info about the afternoon fight, and they paid her all that money rather than waiting an hour or so to see it for themselves. And, as an added bonus, she got to see her fiancée in action again! Damn, it was good to be smart!  
_______  
  
Ranma stood expectantly, waiting for Kuno to show himself. Off to one end of the field, the girls stood in a cluster, gossiping excitedly amongst themselves.  
  
"Wow! He's soooooo cute!"  
  
"Yeah, I hope Kuno doesn't go too hard on him"  
  
"Are you kidding!? A guy that dreamy just *has* to be good at fighting! It just wouldn't be right otherwise!"  
  
"Well, this isn't anime... but I hope you're right"  
  
A collective sigh rose from the group. On the other side of the field...  
  
"Man, that wise ass new kid is really gonna get his ass kicked now!"  
  
"Yeah, stealing our girlfriends! How dare he!"  
  
"Um... guys... we didn't *have* any girlfriends" interjected on brave soul.  
  
"Shut up Daisuke! We would have had if *he* hadn't come along!"  
  
"But he's only been here a day"  
  
"I said shut up!"  
  
A hush fell over the crowd as the school champion, and buffoon, Tatewaki Kuno walked onto the field. He was garbed in his samurai clothes and his bokken was held still at his side.  
  
"Today, I, Tatewaki Kuno have come forth to test the skills of Ranma Saotome, heir to the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts!"  
  
A few snickers broke out amongst the males, but a glare from the heir in question silenced them.  
  
"If he proves himself worthy against my mighty skill, I shall accept him as my worthy partner in training, for none have yet shown themselves to be worthy! Are you prepared, Saotome?"  
  
A bow from Ranma was all the answer young Tatewaki needed, he raised his bokken high.  
  
'Remember Ranma, beat him, but *don't* humiliate him. You know how these prideful types react to things like that.'  
  
'Yeah, I know As, I know.'  
  
Ranma shifted stance, Kuno rushed to meet him, and the battle was joined.  
_______  
  
Meanwhile, some 500 miles north of Tokyo, another conflict was taking place.  
  
'Where the hell have you taken us now you misguided fool!?,' a voice screamed inside Ryoga's head.  
  
'Geez, Ishy, don't be so cranky.' was the irritated response.  
  
'Don't call me Ishy!!!!'  
  
'Ok, ok, Ishtanbrae. Anyway, it's not my fault, I'm just following the directions people are giving me!'  
  
'No, no you aren't, you can't even...' He stopped as Ryoga stopped once again to ask directions.  
  
"Excuse me, which way to Tokyo?"  
  
"Huh, well that's about 500 miles south of here young man," said the elderly farmer, tending his crops.  
  
"Oh, thank you," said Ryoga with a dejected sigh. It was when he started walking north that Ishtanbrae *really* got mad.  
  
'That's IT! I'm not putting up with this crap any more, I'm taking this show on the road! You know what, you keep yelling about this Ranma creep, but you are a *complete* *buffoon*!'  
  
"Hey, wait!" Ryoga stumbled around the road for a minute as an inner struggle took place. When he regained his balance again, he turned around and headed briskly south, a very sinister smile lit upon his face.  
_______  
  
Kuno slashed, he blocked. Kuno thrust, he dodged. Quickly, Ranma darted between the blurring blade to land a light blow on Kuno's chest. He jumped back to clear the distance between himself and the kendoist.  
  
'Be careful, Ranma! You're starting to get him frustrated!'  
  
'Oops, sorry As. Old habits die hard I guess, heh.'  
  
Distracted from his talk with Asuralle, Ranma failed to notice to shot from the kendoist in time to dodge. The bokken swung down towards his unprotected side.  
  
'Oh shit!' he moved, but not soon enough, as a cry of pain escaped his lips as Kuno's wooden blade nicked his abdomen. 'That hurt!' Kuno' s look of frustration gave way to a victorious smirk.  
  
"Aha! You are good, Ranma Saotome, but not good enough!" He raised his sword to the heavens, "Truly, I, Tatewaki Kuno," *OOF!* Kuno's speech was cut short as Ranma landed a double kick square in his chest. "Ah! I am pleased to see you still have fight in you, Saotome, it would have been disappointing otherwise."  
  
"Heh! You're not too bad yourself Kuno-sempai!" Ranma said with neither mockery nor disrespect as he once more lept towards his opponent.  
_______  
  
// Note: If you are unfamiliar with Ah! My Goddess, I would recommend you take a moment to read the brief background at the very end of this chapter //   
  
Not too far from there, in another part of Tokyo, an... interesting group of people sat down for lunch.  
  
"I hope you are hungry, Keichii!" said a beautiful girl in an apron, a musical laugh fitting her too well as she twirled about the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the meal.  
  
"For *your* food! Always, Belldandy!" said a smiling Keichii as he sat down at the table. She blushed and smiled at him, staring into his dark eyes...  
  
KA-BOOM!  
  
The brief romantic moment was shattered as the sound reverberated through the room.  
  
"Oh dear, it sounds like Skuld's had an accident again." Said Belldandy, setting the delicious looking meal on the table.  
  
"Ug." A moment later a white-haired woman stumbled into the room, peering about through squinted eyes.  
  
"Geez, Urd, did you *just* wake up! It's three in the afternoon!" proclaimed an incredulous Keichii.  
  
"So, I was up a little late last night." She stopped a moment, groaning and clutching her head, "What's the big deal." Shakily she sat down, willing the world to stop spinning.  
  
"My, sister, it must have been an interesting night. I haven't ever seen you like this." Commented Belldandy pleasantly, without implying anything harsh or reprimanding.  
  
"Yeah, well, three Immortal Mind Twisters will do that to you..."  
  
"Goodness, your first day back in heaven and you went *there*, now Urd..." This time a slightly disappointed look did grace the face of the beautiful goddess. It had an affect on the elder sister; she winced under the glare.  
  
"Oh!" said Urd looking up quickly, then grasping her head from the sudden movement. "While I was up there, father said he wanted to see you sometime today. No hurry, something about some angel." She shrugged.  
  
"Oh." Belldandy paused, thought for a moment, then turned back to Keichii. "I'm sorry, Keichii, but I have to step out for a moment," she said, seeming slightly disappointed.  
  
Keichii smiled at her reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, Belldandy. I'll be here when you get back."  
  
She smiled again, and left the room. Off to see her father.  
_______  
  
Ranma saw two warriors standing, panting in the setting sun, silhouetted in the red glare. One was a samurai. He stood with his blade drawn, drawing long, shallow breaths. The other, a proud young warrior, held a long bo-staff, and seemed to glow with an inner light.  
  
"Honorable warrior," said the samurai, "you have fought well and bravely. Let us acknowledge each other as equals in combat, and part in peace, for this challenge does not need a victor."  
  
"Ha! I'm better than you'll ever be! Are you a coward, or just chicken! Fight!"  
  
And so he did. One of the two won, Ranma couldn't tell which. It didn't matter. The other set out on a path of vengeance, and Ranma saw, in an instant, as it brought ruin to both warriors, who could have been friends.  
  
The flash or a memory was over, leaving Ranma only a split second to dodge Tatewaki's blow. 'As! What was that?!'  
  
'I'm not, am not, certain, Ranma. It was not me that sent these visions.'  
  
'Then who the heck...' *swipe* Ranma avoided it in the nick of time. And, as unusual as it was, a thoughtful look came across his face. He shuddered as he saw again the vengeful eyes of the two proud warriors.  
  
"Halt!" he shouted, with as much authority as he could. His voice sent reverberations through the area and, unbeknownst to him, several people blocks away paused in their actions for a moment, uncertain why. Tatewaki stood, in mid-strike, a look of familiar confusion on his face.  
  
"Well, what is it Saotome! Why have you called a halt!"  
  
"Kuno-sempai, we've both fought good and bravely, right?"  
  
'Well, Ranma, *well*, not good!'.  
  
'Whatever, As, I'm busy.'  
  
"I've shown that I can help you, at least in sparring. We don't need to keep this up, it's just ridiculous. Let's just say we're equal, and leave it at that."  
  
A look of perplextion contorted his face, then was gone. "Ha! I knew it! You know you are no match for me on the field of combat, so you wish to end the match!" Tatewaki accused.  
  
Ranma gritted his teeth, barely restraining himself from beating Tatewaki to a pulp. But then, those eyes in his mind came back to him. He felt the hate again. And he made himself stop. "This challenge doesn't need a winner, Kuno-sempai." Ranma felt strange saying that, because he had always desired victory. But he felt the hatred, and knew it wasn't worth it. "We came here to see whether I could be your partner in training. I've proven that I can be. It is more than honorable that we stop now."  
  
Kuno didn't talk for a long time, staring thoughtfully at Ranma. 'This warrior wishes to acknowledge each other as equals? Trying to make a mockery, no doubt, of myself! But... I sense nothing but honesty from the man. He is genuine. And truly, I know the way of the samurai. There is no honor in fighting a pointless battle to make only enemies, and no companions.' "Very well, Ranma Saotome." Kuno, with a sudden movement, thrust his bokken deep into the ground. He walked forward briskly to Ranma, and... bowed. And Ranma did the same in turn. Tatewaki, turned, stared at Ranma again for a moment, then grabbed his bokken and left the field.  
  
"I did it," was the weak statement from Ranma, before he fell to the ground, unconscious.  
__________  
  
Belldandy opened the huge office door and stepped in lightly, barely making a sound.  
  
"Father? You wished to see me?"  
  
HMM? OH, YES. MY DAUGHTER. THERE IS A INTERESTING OCCURANCE WITH A REBORN ANGEL I WANT YOU TO LOOK INTO. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT JUSENKYO, DAUGHTER?  
  
"No father, I do not."  
  
IT IS MY WILL THAT YOU KNOW OF THEM, AND THE ASSIGNMENT AS WELL.  
  
Belldandy found her mind flooded with a sudden influx of information concerning a set of cursed springs, and fallen boy, and a risen angel.  
  
"Asuralle!" Belldandy shouted with glee.  
  
A grin broke the face of the father of all. YES. THAT IS WHY I CHOOSE TO GIVE THE ASSIGNMENT TO YOU. KEEP URD BUSY ON IT AS WELL. SHE MADE QUITE A MESS LAST NIGHT AND I DO NOT WISH TO SUSPEND HER LICENSE AGAIN.  
  
"Yes father, I will, father." Belldandy said quickly, eager to be off and greet her long lost friend.  
  
A gentle smile this time crossed his face.  
  
VERY WELL. IT IS MY WILL THAT THIS MEETING END.  
__________  
  
Finish of Chapter 3 (7/7/01)  
__________  
  
Chapter 4: Envy  
Amazons! Amazons! Amazons! Ryoga reaches Nerima! Or... at least his body does... What does Belldandy have to say about her new assignment? What does Ranma have to say about being an assignment?! And why are all the girls carrying thermoses around school with them now? Find out, in the next installment!  
  
P.S. Sorry about the wait, I actually have a job now. =p Working literally 55 hours a week, decent money though. Which is nice, considering I'd get arrested if I got money for this. I will really, really try to get the next chapter out soon.   
__________  
  
Ah! My Goddess Background:   
Keichii is a college student at Nekomi Technical Institute who had trouble with women. He believes it is because of his lack of height. Belldandy is the beautiful and kind goddess of the present, sent to grant Keichii a wish, because he has a good soul. Keichii, thinking this is a prank from his classmates (Cause goddesses can't be real), wishes for Belldandy to stay with him forever. The wish is granted, and Belldandy moves in with Keichii. A very, very slowly blossoming romance forms between them. (They are about as open about their feelings as Ranma and Akane in canon, but without the violence, and more WAFFy moments). Eventually, Belldandy's two sisters come to stay with them. Skuld, goddess of the future, is a childish, techno-geek, who loves trying her new inventions. Urd, goddess of the past, is half-demon, into love, sex and alcohol. She loves experimenting with potions trying to get her sister and Keichii closer together.  



End file.
